EDU522: Research Methods: Improving Learning Organizations

Credit Hours:
3
Estimated Hours Per Week:
15

Overview

This course teaches students how to apply fundamental research skills in developing and delivering adult education programs, with an emphasis on short term, applied research applications as opposed to theoretical research. In adult education, the educator is often called upon to justify the development or continuation of an educational program based on research into the usefulness of that program to achieve desired results. This course provides a means to that end.  

The course project, Applied Research Report: Designing, Implementing, and Publishing Research in a Learning Organization, prepares adult educators to evaluate the results of a program in order to justify curricula and/or instructional practices. The student works within an organization to develop and evaluate an applied research project.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Apply fundamental research skills to instructional design projects.
  • Evaluate and assess instruction and its impact.
  • Identify and catalog the various types of research methods appropriate for adult education applications.
  • Identify and define a question or problem that will be the focus of an adult education research project.
  • Find, analyze, and summarize relevant literature related to the subject of the research project.
  • Design a practical research project to answer a research question related to adult education.
  • Develop or select proper instrumentation for the conduct of a research project.
  • Conduct a practical research project related to an adult education application with an organization.
  • Analyze and report research results.
  • Relate research results to the goals and requirements of an adult education application in an organization.
ENROLLMENT
To enroll in this course, please complete the online application.

Prerequisites

Admission or application for admission to the degree program is required to enroll in this course.

Required Texts
EDU522 texts are available from the JIU/Follett Bookstore